Dr. Gloria Thomas received a bachelor's degree in chemistry from Southern University and A&M College in Baton Rouge, LA in 1996. After working in the chemical industry for a brief period, she earned a doctorate in chemistry at Louisiana State University in 2002. Dr. Thomas was a National Research Council Postdoctoral Fellow at the National Institute of Standards and Technology before joining the faculty at Mississippi State University in 2003 and at Xavier University of Louisiana in 2007.

She was 2007 chair and current PI of the NSF Chemistry Research Experiences for Undergraduates (REU) Leadership Group, a member of the Executive Board of the National Organization of Black Chemists and Chemical Engineers (2005 – 2009) and is actively involved in the American Chemical Society as a past subcommittee chair of the Younger Chemists Committee.
Dr. Thomas’ professional interests include bioanalytical applications of electrophoresis and microdevice technology, and new technologies and strategies in chemical education. She also enjoys photography and iEverything, and is an active member of Delta Sigma Theta Sorority, Incorporated.

Research Interest

Dr. Thomas' research interests are primarily in electrophoretic and microfluidic analyses using laser-induced fluorescence detection. Her research includes applications of biological relevance (e.g., estrogen metabolite analysis, evaluation of bioaffinity in transcription factor assays, amino acid profiling in fish), microfabrication and characterization of polymeric devices, and fluorescence microscopy.

LA Research Infrastructure Improvement: Science Drivers and CyberTools
NSF/Experimental Program to Stimulate Competitive Research (EPSCoR), #0701491, Khonsari (PI), Thomas (Subcontract PI), 01/01/2008- 09/30/2010, Subcontract Amount: $153,218
The goal of this subcontract is the development of undergraduate laboratory exercises using the genosenor developed by collaborators at Louisiana State University. The genosensor incorporates multiple biological sample processing steps in one instrument in a modular format using microfluidics and microarray detection using laser-induced fluorescence.

Development of a microfluidic device for SELEX analysis of Transcription Factor Assays
Louisiana Board of Regents, NSF(2009)-PFUND-163, Thomas (PI), 02/1/09 – 01/31/2009, Award: $10,000
This project seeks the development of a device capable of performing the traditional SELEX analysis in a modular microfluidic format that incorporates transcription factor/DNA binding as well as DNA amplification.

The Chemistry Leadership Group: Improving, Expanding and Diversifying the REU Experience
National Science Foundation, NSF #0739442, Thomas (PI), 8/15/2007 – 7/31/2010, Award: $76,329
This award supports the efforts of the REU Leadership group to advocate for undergraduate research and support the PI community through various activities.